Antoni Porowski’s endearing, golden-retriever level of excitability is on full display when discussing his favorite filming location for No Taste Like Home, his new travel show on Nat Geo. “It’s a tie between Senegal and Borneo,” says the Queer Eye star, who explores destinations through their food with a celebrity guest who has a connection to the place. Borneo, which he visits with actor Henry Golding, introduced to him the concept of longhouses, a communal home shared by many families in the Iban tribe. “When we showed up and were ready to film, we had to have an emergency production meeting because the leader of the longhouse wanted to walk with us from beginning to end, introducing us to every single family. I get goosebumps thinking about it!” he says. “They made us a feast with 30 pots of rice, because every family wanted to make their own pot of rice. It was the most magical thing.”
Senegal, with its devastating history of slavery and colonization, also awed him with its cultural focus on hospitality. “Their number-one value is teranga, sharing everything you amass. It’s not even discussed,” he says. “Obviously the moringa stews and rice dishes were just unbelievable, but it really did reshape my whole notion of what is happiness, what are my actual needs, what is necessary for me to live a full life.”
Ahead of the new show, which also includes stops in South Korea with Awkwafina and Italy with Justin Theroux, Porowski talked to Condé Nast Traveler with unbelievable enthusiasm about his go-to in-flight products, hotel TV programming, and exploring Polish resort towns with his father.
How he makes himself at home in a hotel:
As a queer man, lighting is really important. When you’re at your gay friend’s house, there’s always dimmers everywhere. Lighting and mood is everything to me. I always travel with a candle in case the lights are too bright. Here’s a pro tip: If you’re not flying with checked luggage, take it out of your carry-on luggage, along with your laptop or iPad, because the bomb thing always goes off. It saves you a lot of time. I have a scent that’s familiar of home, and makes me feel a little nostalgic, especially if I’m away for a long time.
How he gets rest on planes:
I always have a sleep mask. I love my Slip sleep masks, the silky ones. My esthetician taught me recently that you have to wash those once a month. There’s so much oil that comes out of your skin. I always have a pair of socks to change into for the flight. I know it’s weird, but there’s something about putting on a fresh, clean pair of Adidas white tube socks on a flight. I get them on sale on Amazon. I always carry chamomile tea pouches, which I typically get from lounges, or my Mighty Leaf; I really love their chamomile citrus. They don’t really have good tea on flights. Luggage gets lost, so it’s always helpful to have a spare pair of underwear and a t-shirt, and I always switch from track pants or sweatpants to gym shorts while I’m on the flight, because I tend to overheat.